7NS Issue: Can we somehow block "latest post" on the main page?

Garth Maul: I'm genuinely curious: did you ever consider an AdBlock option before making this thread?

Click to expand...

That's not a reasonable solution. It might be reasonable to tell one specific person that, but to tell every new person that comes to the boards?

If you're going to have a spoiler section and a non spoiler section, you have to do something to seperate them. Maybe if this isn't the answer, breaking the spoiler thread off from films into it's own menu section is an option.

But expecting everyone to download Adblock and use it is not what I would call reasonable.

I takes less than a couple of minutes to download AdBlock... how is that unreasonable? Was it unreasonable for me to download & use it to block the stars/those gray 'mod' and 'game host' tags underneath some user's name? I don't think so.

Garth Maul: I'm genuinely curious: did you ever consider an AdBlock option before making this thread?

Click to expand...

No. I was going off what we previously did in 3NS days. I direct link to 7NS but there were enough complaints already that I thought I'd start the thread. If the admins want to restore the original main page and just tell people to ad-block, that's fine.

Grimby: Then I suppose from your logic it's been unreasonable when anyone here has ever had to use AdBlock to block something around the boards. Oh well. At the very least, would it be possible for those of us (who wish to have that latest topic from the 7SA shown on the forum main page) to have that option back? Is that logistically possible?

I only pointed that out as to show how it easy it is to download & use Ad Block, not to compare these two issues (perhaps then I could have worded my post about that differently). Obviously I'm not arguing over the existence of the 7NS forum (that would be a ridiculous notion), just the issue of latest topic heading on the forum main page (I don't care if it's blocked on the TFN main page, or on the JC RSS feed). Yes, this really isn't all that much of a deal at the end of it (that should be a given for 98% of anything brought up in Comms ), it's just slightly odd to me that a nice, new feature of these boards is all of sudden not available for a (public... nobody has to sign up for access to the 7SA) particular forum.

Just curious, but would it be possible to only have the last poster and the time stamp visible? I do have to admit, I found myself looking at that little box quite often and it does look odd to have that blank space there. I guess it's one of those things you don't notice how much you use until it's gone.

It's unreasonable to expect every user to download a browser add-on in order to avoid spoilers, yes.

Click to expand...

This is a fair enough point. That having been said, at what point do we acknowledge that this is a Star Wars site where Star Wars fans come to discuss Star Wars, and that we're about to get a metric crap-ton of new Star Wars material?

The solution is already built into the site. The site is structured in a way that allows you to have different expandable categories. I don't have the EU section expanded because I don't have interest in the EU. You can do the same thing for spoilers and non spoilers. Then people who want to see it can see it, and people who don't don't. Spoiler areas and non spoiler areas are inherently different, that's how they should be treated

There is no reason to pigeonhole everything under the broad umbrella of "films". You can create a spoiler area that can be hidden by default or expanded at will by those who want it just like any of the other sections. Then it's hidden until you want it. And if you want it, it's there for easy access. Best of all worlds

That's my thoughts on it anyway

But leaving it like it was is silly. Why bother having a spoiler free forum when you're going to put spoilers on the main page? What is the point in that?

I should add, I'm fine with what you've already done. I would be happy to see it left alone. Obviously, others here are not, so I thought I would add that suggestion. Take it for what you think it's worth!

Just curious, but would it be possible to only have the last poster and the time stamp visible? I do have to admit, I found myself looking at that little box quite often and it does look odd to have that blank space there. I guess it's one of those things you don't notice how much you use until it's gone.

Click to expand...

I was thinking about this as well and I think it's possible. I'll check it out.

It's unreasonable to expect every user to download a browser add-on in order to avoid spoilers, yes.

Click to expand...

This is a fair enough point. That having been said, at what point do we acknowledge that this is a Star Wars site where Star Wars fans come to discuss Star Wars, and that we're about to get a metric crap-ton of new Star Wars material?

Click to expand...

The only thing we've done here is remove thread activity from the site's feeds and hidden it from the main page (two features which, by the way, never existed on the old boards). We haven't blocked anyone from actually viewing this content. If you are a user who wishes to remain as spoiler free as possible, the last thing you'd want is to log in here or visit TFN main and see a thread title saying "CONFIRMED - Darth Snuffaluffagus kills Porkins Clone in Episode VII!!!!!1one" I think that's the least we can do for those who want to try remaining spoiler-free.

Just a thought, but I would hazard a guess that there exists the ability to make these changes on a per-skin basis? If so, then have the default skin with it, and a specific 7NS variant that drops the information. Statistically from the PT the vast majority of people that come to these boards are going to either want or not care about spoilers, whereas those who make a specific choice to go spoiler free are more clued in about what they do and so if there is a quick note in a general "how to avoid spoilers" guide at the top of the 7NS forum with instructions as to what to do then all will be well.

This compromise works gloriously for me. While I left it publicly unsaid, my personal issue was that I actually quite heavily relied on seeing the latest activity alert. I moderate 3 forums... all of which are conveniently located together... and so I would rather frequently do the whole "Superman Returns" bit and hover out there for a moment and then dive down on the latest activity if all 3 forums were generating replies. At least being able to see that anything is afoot in 7SA lets me stay on that course.

Just a thought, but I would hazard a guess that there exists the ability to make these changes on a per-skin basis? If so, then have the default skin with it, and a specific 7NS variant that drops the information. Statistically from the PT the vast majority of people that come to these boards are going to either want or not care about spoilers, whereas those who make a specific choice to go spoiler free are more clued in about what they do and so if there is a quick note in a general "how to avoid spoilers" guide at the top of the 7NS forum with instructions as to what to do then all will be well.

Click to expand...

This is a good idea, but it might not be an option once we get the forum banners going again, which will eliminate the style chooser feature.

Then might I suggest taking more time before implementing the individual forum banners again to tweak the system to have the options of "default forum banners" which will pick the banner selected for the overall boards and individual forum banners; and "style xxxx" which the individual sees on all pages they view, overriding the set banners for each individual area.

I ask not just in regards to this issue but also so I don't have to be subjected to analogs of the crap banners that were uploaded as 'acceptable' in the past.

I like Captain Tom's suggestion but if separating a spoiler and non-spoiler general area is too big a pain for the mods to deal with, I'm certainly fine with what has already been done. I also appreciate Darth_Nub's honesty about the status of spoilers in the Saga forum.

I also remember that the spoiler forums had much heavier traffic than the non-spoiler ones in the PT days. That said, and this is something I brought up in the original NSA sign-up thread--I don't think people should have to avoid the largest Star Wars forum on the Internet if they don't want to be spoiled, and certainly not this far in advance of the film. There is so much more to Star Wars and this forum than the ST. There is the OT, the PT, the TV forum with the Rebels series coming out next fall, the Lit forum with books and comics coming out well before summer of 2015, the JCC where people don't discuss Star Wars at all. Maybe people come here without wanting to discuss the ST at all, much less get spoiled for it.

I appreciate what you all have done so far for those of us who don't want spoilers, and no, I don't expect you to monitor my TV. I just wanted to throw that comment out to dispel the idea that "anyone who logs into these boards is probably OK with or looking for new info on the ST".

Then might I suggest taking more time before implementing the individual forum banners again to tweak the system to have the options of "default forum banners" which will pick the banner selected for the overall boards and individual forum banners; and "style xxxx" which the individual sees on all pages they view, overriding the set banners for each individual area.

I ask not just in regards to this issue but also so I don't have to be subjected to analogs of the crap banners that were uploaded as 'acceptable' in the past.

Click to expand...

All banners will have to be re-evaluated anyway, but I see your point.

This compromise works gloriously for me. While I left it publicly unsaid, my personal issue was that I actually quite heavily relied on seeing the latest activity alert. I moderate 3 forums... all of which are conveniently located together... and so I would rather frequently do the whole "Superman Returns" bit and hover out there for a moment and then dive down on the latest activity if all 3 forums were generating replies. At least being able to see that anything is afoot in 7SA lets me stay on that course.

Click to expand...

Me too. I like how we can now at least see when the last activity in the 7SA forum was and who posted it, even if we can't see the thread title.